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A FORMER worker who spied for Iran earlier escaping from Wandsworth situation nether a nutrient van has been jailed.
Daniel Khalife cost constabulary much than £250,000 successful overtime successful a mammoth manhunt involving 150 officers erstwhile helium fled jail.
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The 23-year-old had been held connected remand for spying charges aft helium contacted Iranian information work members wrong conscionable 1 period of joining the Royal Corps of Signals.
Former worker Khalife utilized fake email addresses for the espionage and sent details about SAS and SBS unit to his handlers.
The "attention seeker" has present been jailed for 14 years and 3 months aft being convicted of spying for Iran and escaping from Wandsworth.
Khalife near worldly successful nationalist locations successful speech for currency successful an old-fashioned spy maneuver known arsenic the "dead drop".
His archetypal outgo of £1,500 was near successful a canine poo container for him to cod successful August 2019.
Khalife besides made a 2nd £1,000 currency pick-up from Kensal Green Cemetery successful October 2021.
While being held astatine HMP Wandsworth for his crimes, Khalife utilized furniture sheets to strap himself to the underside of a nutrient transportation truck.
Footage showed him leaving his compartment connected September 6 past twelvemonth arsenic helium pulled a catering trolley for his room work shift.
A white Mercedes sprinter van was past seen parked extracurricular the Category B prison in South West London.
As it pulls away, Khalife was near holding connected to the underside utilizing the makeshift sling.
He past "pencil rolled" distant from the lorry earlier heading connected a buying spree crossed London, Woolwich Crown Court was told.
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A immense nationwide hunt was launched amid fears Khalife had fled to Iran.
Khalife was yet arrested 4 days aft helium fled situation connected the footpath of the Grand Union Canal successful Northolt, West London.
In this time, helium had picked up a baseball cap from a Mountain Warehouse and was captured strolling leisurely done Richmond.
The worker managed to alteration his wardrobe aggregate times portion connected the escaped and adjacent brazenly purchased a paper that had a beforehand leafage communicative astir his escape.
During a constabulary interview, the erstwhile worker said helium "f***ed up" his assemblage underneath the truck.
He besides said helium did not realise however "unbelievably dangerous" it was until the conveyance turned connected to a main roadworthy wherever the velocity bounds increased.
Asked wherefore helium had allegedly escaped, Khalife replied: "Can't archer you.
"There's a crushed wherefore I was truthful calm erstwhile the serviceman arrested me.
"I could person jumped successful the water, I could person f***ed him up.
"Everything's gone to plan."
The erstwhile squaddie, who was brought up successful Kingston, South West London, by his Iranian mum, joined the Army in September 2018 - 2 weeks earlier his 17th birthday.
But authoritative Mark Heywood KC said helium had "no existent volition to simply get his caput down" and alternatively his motives moved towards espionage.
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In April 2019, Khalife archetypal made interaction with Iran - conscionable weeks aft helium passed his information clearance.
Messages showed by August 2020, helium was consenting to stitchery accusation "to order, for arsenic agelong arsenic they wanted" portion posted with the 16th Signal Regiment successful Stafford.
He told a interaction saved arsenic David Smith: "I request to spell to your supervisor and inquire what circumstantial regiment oregon assemblage you're funny in."
That aforesaid month, helium travelled to Istanbul connected instructions from David Smith, who told him to disguise the travel arsenic a holiday.
Khalife utilized Telegram to bespeak helium had near a bundle for his handlers, the tribunal heard.
Mr Heywood said Khalife's program was to spell from Turkey to Iran but helium did not transverse the border.
He was posted to Fort Hood in Texas between February and April 2021 and stayed successful interaction with his Iranian handlers.
The tribunal heard helium took a bid of screenshots of systems marked "Secret" - including a password grounds sheet.
In April that year, Khalife was granted the 2nd highest level of Nato security, 1 beneath "cosmic apical secret".
Just 2 months later, helium took a photograph of a handwritten database of 15 soldiers - including immoderate serving successful the Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Service (SBS).
At 1 point, Khalife contacted MI6 saying helium wanted to beryllium a "double agent" and aboriginal told police his interaction with the Iranians was each a treble bluff, the tribunal was told.
Khalife is simply a buffoon - truthful however did helium get distant with his spying for 2 years?
By Mike Sullivan, Crime Editor
In a uncommon infinitesimal of self-awareness, Daniel Khalife admitted successful tribunal helium had behaved similar an idiot.
Unfortunately, helium proved to beryllium a utile idiot for Iran and an embarrassment to British intelligence, police, the Army and peculiarly the situation service.
Khalife maintained that portion helium had offered to spy for Iran, successful world helium was acting from misguided patriotism and wanted to beryllium a treble agent.
His stated ambition was to beryllium James Bond - though his lawyer dismissed Khalife’s efforts arsenic much "Scooby-Doo" than "007.”
This contrasts with the sentiment of Met Commander Dominic Murphy, who says Khalife caused important harm to nationalist security.
If so, past wherefore was Khalife near connected bail for a twelvemonth aft his archetypal apprehension implicit spying claims?
Khalife brought that connected himself aft getting successful interaction with MI5 and MI6 to uncover helium was successful connection with Iranian agents.
His archetypal effort to interaction MI5 failed arsenic their nationalist alert enactment was lone unfastened from 9 to 5!
Even erstwhile helium was arrested 2 months later, the Army inactive allowed him to stay successful station with the Signals corps until helium went AWOL a twelvemonth later.
He was yet charged aft being captured 3 weeks aboriginal surviving successful a van six miles from his base. Hardly nationalist force fig one.
Most of the worldly Khalife handed implicit to his Iranian handler was already successful the nationalist domain oregon fabricated.
But helium did shamefully walk connected details of SAS and SBS unit and helium besides travelled to Istanbul to conscionable with force agents.
What helium handed implicit to them determination is improbable to ever beryllium known though it’s improbable helium would person gone empty-handed.
Khalife deserves to beryllium jailed for the maltreatment of his presumption alone.
But I anticipation the justice does not determine to instrumentality the champion years of his beingness away.
Khalife is arrogant, egotistical and grossly irresponsible - but helium is nary Kim Philby.
It makes it each the much concerning however specified a buffoon was capable to manus implicit worldly to Iranians for 2 years undetected.
Khalife was intelligibly psychologically unfit to person ever been allowed successful the Army successful the archetypal place.
Yet adjacent erstwhile helium was flagged up arsenic a information risk, it appears the rogue worker was not taken earnestly by the authorities.
Serious questions present request to beryllium asked implicit however that was allowed to hap to guarantee thing similar it occurs again.
In his evidence, helium claimed helium was a "patriot", adding: "I wasn't reasoning precise straight.
"To beryllium honorable with you I was reasoning I could beryllium James Bond oregon something, similar an idiot."
His ain lawyer Gul Nawaz Hussain KC claimed his "hapless" treble cause crippled was much "Scooby-Doo" than "007”.
Khalife was convicted of breaching the Official Secrets Act and Terrorism Act. He pleaded blameworthy to escaping from Wandsworth.
Commander Dominic Murphy, caput of Scotland Yard's SO15, which investigates authorities threats branded Khalife "the eventual Walter Mitty character" pursuing the verdict.
He added: "I deliberation helium astir apt enjoyed the thrill of the deception throughout.
"It's intolerable to disentangle his ego, the phantasy beingness that helium created for himself, the money that helium earned, his allegiance successful immoderate signifier it mightiness beryllium to Iran and his deficiency of information for the harm helium was doing here."
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